Mindful Drinking & Moderation in Midlife: How to Drink Less, On Your Terms
How do I drink less without quitting completely? What's the difference between alcohol-free, low alcohol, and no alcohol drinks? Why can't I handle alcohol like I used to? How do I cut back when everyone around me is still drinking? Why do alcohol-free drinks cost so much?
If you're in your 30s, 40s, 50s or beyond and asking these questions, this is your podcast.
Welcome to the essential show for midlife adults who want to drink less, on their own terms—without the pressure to quit completely, follow rigid rules, or label themselves as sober.
I'm Denise Hamilton-Mace, your mindful drinking mentor, magazine editor, writer and public speaker on all things low, no and light. Each week, I help stressed parents and busy midlife adults navigate their relationship with alcohol through practical approaches grounded in real-world experience and behaviour change strategy, not willpower or wellness culture
What you'll get:
Mindful Moderation Solo Episodes – Deep-dives answering the questions that matter to sophisticated drinkers who want to moderate smartly:
- How do I cut back when my partner still drinks at home?
- Why do premium alcohol-free drinks cost the same as full-strength versions?
- How do I navigate social situations when I'm the only one moderating?
- What really works: willpower vs. strategy?
Drinks 101 Mini-Series – Short educational episodes demystifying the confusing world of low and no alcohol drinks:
- What does ABV actually mean?
- What's the real difference between non-alcoholic, alcohol-free, low alcohol, and light beer?
- How are alcohol-free drinks made?
- Which drinks are safe for pregnancy, driving, or recovery?
Meet the Makers – Intimate conversations with the founders, brewers, distillers, and visionaries creating the premium drinks and experiences that support your moderation goals.
This podcast is for you if:
- You want drinks that taste like the ones you already love
- You're looking for practical advice that fits your demanding life, not another wellness overhaul
- You recognise that coasting with mid-strength drinks, zebra-striping, or bookending your evening with something non-alcoholic are all valid strategies
- You want better mornings without giving up celebrating life's special moments
This isn't about going completely dry or reinventing yourself. It's about keeping energy for what matters most: family, health, career, and living life on your own terms.
Join the moderation revolution happening in midlife – because while Gen Z gets the headlines, you're the one actually doing it.
Mindful Drinking & Moderation in Midlife: How to Drink Less, On Your Terms
Mindful Drinking Advent 13: What To Do When Last Night Went Off-Piste
YOUR DATA, YOUR CHOICE: WEIGH UP THE TRUE IMPACT OF DRINKING FROM LIGHT – MEDIUM – HEAVY DAYS WITH THE DRINKING IMPACT CALCULATOR AT https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator
On Day Thirteen of the Mindful Drinking Advent, we’re talking about the morning after the night before — the headache, the anxiety, the “I’m never drinking again” moment — and why shame is the least helpful thing you can reach for today.
This episode encourages you to choose recovery over regret: hydrate, nourish yourself, move gently, forgive what happened, and reflect honestly on what triggered you so you can handle it differently next time.
One night doesn’t define your December. Your next choice starts now.
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You can email me at denise@lownodrinkermagazine.com
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🗣️ Join the growing community on Substack
https://lownodrinker.substack.com/
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🌱 Reset the way alcohol shows up in your life with the 4 Week Midlife Mindful Drinking Reset
https://www.lownodrinker.com/4weekreset
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🧮 Drinking Impact Calculator: Find your personal tipping point
https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator
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🧐 Take the quiz and find out what's REALLY driving your midlife drinking habits
https://www.lownodrinker.com/
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*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Low No Drinker may earn a commission. Thank you.
Hi yeah, and welcome to day 13 of our mindful drinking audio advent here on the Mindful Drinking and Moderation in Midlife podcast. Today it's Saturday morning and we're talking about recovery, not regret. Now, it is highly possible that last night was a big party night for you, and perhaps you went out and perhaps you set yourself some really clear intentions, and perhaps you had one too many. Perhaps you had five too many. Perhaps you woke up this morning with a headache and uh anxiety and that uh age old promise of to yourself of I'm never drinking again. Look, you are human. This is Christmas. The social pressure, uh, the peer pressure, the seasonal pressure, it's high at this time of year, and sometimes you just overdo it. You are human. Forgive yourself. That's the message that I want to give you today. The worst thing you can do is spiral in a downward trajectory of shame and disappointment and succumb to that negativity and feeling of failure. You haven't failed, you have been out, you made a plan, perhaps it didn't go the way you want it to, and you have learned something from it that you can take forward into the rest of the season and into the rest of next year. Beating yourself up doesn't undo whatever it is that you did last night, it just makes you feel worse about it. And when you feel worse about it, you're more likely to think, oh well, screw it, I might as well just write off the rest of the month. And that would be such a shame. I'd really hate that for you. So instead of regret today, I want you to choose recovery. Uh, I want you to hydrate, I want you to move your body gently now, don't overdo it. Um, eat something nourishing. Please put down the remnants of last night's kebab or last night's pizza. Um, it's not gonna do you any favors. Put it in the bin, go and get something that that came from the earth at some point. Um, but eat something nourishing, forgive yourself, and look, we're just gonna go again because one night uh off-piste, pun, very much intended, uh, doesn't erase all the good decisions, all the good intentions, all the good efforts that you've made. Don't think of it as starting over, you're just gonna keep going. Um, so yeah, you had a setback. So what? Nobody has gotten anywhere worthwhile in life without having to take a few side steps on the way there. So don't wait until Monday, don't wait until dry January. Your next choice starts today, it starts right now. I want you to be proactive. I want you, once your head is cleared, uh, which hopefully it has by now if you're listening to podcasts, uh, but once your head is cleared, I want you to take an objective look at where things went in a different direction last night. Identify what were those moments that um triggered you to fall back into habits that you're trying to move away from. Uh, and then identifying them alone isn't enough. I then want you to think about and prepare for how you can handle them better going forward. It all depends on you as an individual, it depends on the situation you find yourself in, it depends on the people that are around you. So it's very hard for me to say this is what you should do next time. But I want you to have a think about where you notice that things went differently to how you had hoped that they would, and what you could do to better prepare and to counter it for next time. Uh and like I said, forgive yourself, be kind to yourself because if you don't do it, then nobody else will. On today's Mindful Drinking Advent email, once you open it up, you will see a selection of drinks to help you bounce back a little bit faster with some brain and body boosting drinks, and of course, the discount codes that go with them. So, do make sure that you go and check those out. And I will see you tomorrow. Until then, cheers to a Christmas less intoxicated.
